Evergreen Glade
by Closet Lethargy
Summary: Mahiru is in need of a vacation, according to Kuro. Thus, a camping trip! Just about everything goes wrong, and in less than two days! But then, what did you expect? And it all starts with an odd creature in the woods that led them down the rabbit hole...
1. Chapter 1: Down the rabbit hole

**AN** **: Well, this is my first story on here, I hope you enjoy! I may rate this teen, but that would only**

 **be due to violence, injuries, etc. I will post warnings for any blood/violence that occurs in a chapter if you would like to skim over it. This chapter is kick starting the adventure, so nothing to worry about here but some dead fish. And slight scary themes - I know I'm months too early, but this has a subtle Halloween theme to it. A bit scary, but nothing major yet. Happy reading!**

CHAPTER 1: DOWN THE RABBIT HOLE

 _"My name is Shirota Mahiru. I'm fifteen. I think life should be simple. I hate complications. I grabbed the cat so I wouldn't feel guilty later. The next day, I found out that cat could cost me my life."_

 _"I'll call you …Kuro!_ "

\\( ' - ' )\

Life had certainly become complex ever since Mahiru had discovered Kuro's secret; the little black cat was a vampire, Sleepy Ash of Sloth, the oldest and most powerful sibling of seven others. Eight, if Tsubaki was to be believed. Meeting new acquaintances, even if they weren't friendly, fighting battles in a supernatural blacklight, and discovering age old secrets about things he had never had time to ponder were only a few things that Mahiru had dealt with recently. There were the secrets. There was the emotional turmoil. There were the family bonds hanging by a fraying thread that needed to be replaced.

Needless to say, he was tired.

Complications made life difficult, and the Servamp siblings were masters of complicating things. Mahiru had been putting up with, or, rather, trying his best to simplify matters, for a long while now. Several months, if he recalled. Almost a year. But now, after so long, things were actually beginning to settle down to a more stable normalcy. And with Halloween approaching, the mischievous vampires had begun playing pranks on their unsuspecting Eves, and while Mahiru didn't even mind the exploding skeleton doll on his doorstep, shoot, the ramen sauce packets it popped out were just so _Kuro_ that Mahiru _laughed_ , but the green slime in his bed oozing out of the covers and the heavy red dye in the water filters were just a tad much. Drinking a glass of water colored like blood after that last horrific fight against Tsubaki unsettled the youth to no end. But the final straw? Kuro was having _fun_ scaring him half to death. It was enough to drive him mad. As in angry.

"Kuro!" Mahiru finally shouted, storming about his apartment in search of his lazy partner. His blazing amber eyes caught a flash of soot colored fur dart under the couch. At least he was listening. "Kuro, for such a slacker of a couch potato, you seem to be putting an awful lot of time and energy into pranking me! What's with you?" Agitated, Mahiru threw the rubber werewolf mask and claw set to the ground. He'd found it conveniently placed over that night's dinner prep, consisting of mostly vegetables, something Kuro had been adamant about not eating. A fluffy head peered out from under the couch, a gleam in his dark eyes that looked much more daring than normal.

"It's not really my fault, you know," cat Kuro offered. "Holidays have various affects on vampires. Halloween makes me …jittery. Can't help it." Mahiru groaned. As if the weird having glowing purple eyes during certain moon phases wasn't enough …

"Look, just knock off the pranks, all right? They're too much of a pain to clean up day after day!" Kuro dragged himself out into the open, shaking off potato chip crumbs that Mahiru immediately bristled at. Kuro had promised him that he'd vacuumed under there!

"Sure, Mahiru, but what do I do instead? I used to prank my previous Eves until November," Kuro whined. Mahiru placed his hands on his hips, glaring down menacingly at Kuro.

"Didn't they ever get mad at you? Annoyed, at least?" Kuro scratched at an ear, avoiding eye contact.

"Well sure. We'd fight, take a trip somewhere relaxing, and come home when it was over. I used to prank other people while we were there, too, but it wasn't as entertaining. But I heard you telling Koyuki that you were planning on buckling down and cramming for a test, so I thought you didn't mind it so much." Mahiru sighed, long and loud.

"Kuro," he said, "I can't concentrate on cramming for a test if I don't know whether I'll end up picking confetti and glitter out of my hair or finding giant spiders in my favorite mugs if I take a break!" He huffed. "Besides, I don't have time or money to just up and take a vacation. Isn't there some other way for you to run off your energy, like actually doing some chores for once?" Kuro rolled along the bottom of the couch, static charging his fur into pinpricks of shadowy spikes.

"No. Just vacation." Mahiru half heartedly swung his now ever present broom at the vampire, having long since given up on actually hitting the surprisingly agile feline.

"No vacation, we can't afford it," he stated firmly.

 _Poof!_

Kuro, now human, shuffled towards the closet, where he dug out a fiberglass spider's web from the corner and dumped a plastic comically grinning skull on the floor beside the rubber werewolf pile.

"Then suck it up," he yawned. "I don't do housework and this only happens once a year. Well, most of the time, anyway." He turned glinting ruby irises his way. "Why not just let me have a little fun? I'm not doing anything dangerous, unless you suffer frequent heart attacks. Which I'm positive by now you don't." The high schooler rolled his eyes and returned to the kitchen to continue making dinner, keeping a wary eye out for any surprises hidden around his favorite work space.

"You seem to have fun all the time when you play those video games," Mahiru shot through the open doorway. "How is this any different?" Kuro wandered in and pirated a tall glass of apple juice, mumbling around swallows.

"It's different because I don't normally have enough energy to put into doing stupid stuff like this." He eyed the vegetable stew with disdain until a good sized package of beef was set next to the pot. "Seriously, Mahiru, aren't you always saying how you like life to be simple? Why are you making such a big deal of this?" Mahiru frowned, stirring the ingredients over the stovetop. Why _was_ he making this such a big deal? Normally he would either forbade Kuro from doing such childish things or give in and play along, but then he would move on. Simple. So then why?

"Maybe you _do_ need a vacation, Mahiru," Kuro hinted, setting his glass on the counter, leaving it sweating to create a ring. Mahiru very nearly snapped at him, insisting that no, he didn't need a trip, a vacation didn't solve everything, and there was too much to do anyway. But he didn't …because when was the last time he'd gone anywhere for fun? As a group, he'd gone to a hot springs recently, but he was too interested - not to mention irritated - in keeping everyone on track with planning and strategies that he hadn't had time to relax or unwind himself. Maybe Kuro was right, despite obviously wanting it more for himself. Perhaps a vacation would be nice, just the two of them, and maybe Uncle Tooru, too, if they could get enough funds together for a nice trip. It didn't sound like that ludicrous of an idea, at that.

"Kuro, if you can _promise_ me that you can stop pranking for just a few days, I'll see about raising some money for a short overnight trip somewhere simple," Mahiru compromised. Kuro tapped the cabinet behind his head, setting off a small burst of firecrackers and red smoke.

"I promise," he conceded. "Just let me spring these before we leave. I might forget they're there." And that was how it all began.

\\( ' - ' )\

The evening after Mahiru's tests had finished, the week before Halloween, he, Tooru and Kuro piled into the old fashioned brown family car, loaded with baggage, and headed to a campsite to the north for an entire weekend of camping. Internet free, of course, which bugged Kuro, and shower free to annoy Mahiru. Tooru had been ecstatic to hear that Mahiru wanted to take a family trip for the first time with him and had immediately taken a few days off, booking reservations and calling the neighbors to watch the apartment. The camp was around three hours away from town, but it was a nice day, warm and sunny, and they drove uneventfully as the sun set, windows down to let in the cooling evening air.

Tooru chatted excitedly as they drove, obviously thrilled that stubborn, hard working Mahiru had willing chosen to go somewhere, and had specifically asked him, _him,_ to take time off from work to go with him! Mahiru listened attentively to stories from his uncle's childhood, including a few trips he'd taken with his mother and the trouble he got into whenever he had the chance. Kuro slumbered peacefully in Mahiru's lap the entire way, leaving the chestnut headed teen to fully enjoy the drive without worrying about future pranks or if the servamp would accidentally speak in front of Tooru. The campsite was secluded and quiet, nestled not far from the dirt road they'd driven to get there and tucked away in a pine scented alcove. Mahiru carefully built a fire in the designated fire pit while Tooru lit the bug repelling lanterns strewn in a circle around the clearing to see better to set the tent up. Kuro lazily watched from the spot he'd chosen atop the discarded luggage, content to let the other two do all the work.

Smores, burgers and canned cat food were devoured for dinner, and sleeping bags plus cat bed were laid under the stars while the tent housed food supplies and baggage. Good nights were spoken, and sleep fell upon the tiny group quickly, lulled along by the quiet chirps of frogs and the soothing sound of a breeze rustling the trees ever so gently. It was calming, dark and peaceful. And Mahiru was still lying awake. He tossed and turned to get comfortable, wondering if the strange environment was the cause preventing him from sleeping soundly, and eventually gave up. He felt wired, ready to take a walk or clean up the paper plates left stacked just inside the tent flap to be disposed of later. Bored and no longer tired, Mahiru glanced around for something to do. Tooru was snoring to his right. He'd never had a difficult time sleeping, no matter where he was. To his left, Kuro had his head tilted upwards, gazing at the glistening sky almost wistfully.

Mahiru blinked, surprised to see the vampire not only awake but with such an alien look in his dark slit eyes. He seemed almost like he was remembering something important, staring at the night sky with an air of longing, wistfulness, that Mahiru had never witnessed in him before. Not willing to break the serene moment, the teen resisted the urge to whisper _"what are you thinking about?"_ and instead turned his own brightly colored gaze heavenward. Together, they watched the sky in tranquility, lost in their own separate thoughts as the dark calm of night became the hazy anticipating gray of predawn, then the mixed rose, gold and sapphire of sunrise. Mahiru fell asleep just as the sun rose. Kuro sat and watched it clear the horizon as time marched on from dawn to noon.

Neither stirred until the zealous Tooru gathered them for breakfast, though it was more like lunch at that point. Deli made sandwiches, onigiri and more cat food were consumed before Tooru animatedly suggested a hike to where he claimed there was a good lake for fishing. Mahiru collected the fishing poles and tackle box while Tooru grabbed the map and water bottles. Kuro perched on Mahiru's shoulder, idly swatting at the dangling fishing lines as they walked. A comfortable, amiable thirty four minute walk in, Mahiru felt Kuro twitch, then stiffen from his lethargic slouch into uprightness.

"What's up?" Mahiru whispered, instantly on the alert. Kuro relaxed a hair, tail flicking like a slow metronome.

"Nothing," he murmured. "Just thought I saw something. False alarm." Mahiru shrugged and continued walking. He'd learned that while Kuro was lazy and forgetful, he had spectacular instincts about what was dangerous or not, and if he didn't sense anything off, it was best to trust those instincts and leave well enough alone. It was simpler that way.

"There it is, boys!" Tooru exclaimed proudly, pointing to where the trail widened and the trees thinned to give a good view of a forest lake, sparkling beautifully under the sun that filtered through the leaves overhead. It was a perfect spot for fishing, as the water didn't run quickly through this area, and rock outcroppings were few and far between. The afternoon was spent in friendly competition to see who could catch the most fish before it was time to head back, and even Kuro joined the fun, batting small fish out of the water and onto the shore. Mahiru smiled and laughed and sent Kuro a grateful look. He truly hadn't had such a good time since before his mother's passing. He would have to find some way to repay his partner. Maybe, if he promised to clean up, he would buy up as much leftover Halloween candy he could and let Kuro have it.

They were both too old to care about trick or treating, but if there was one defining thing about Kuro other than the (to Mahiru) painful reminder that he was the servamp of sloth, it was his secretive love of sweets. He tried to deny it, asking instead for more ramen instead, but Mahiru often caught him staring longingly at the candy aisle. Mahiru snuck his hand into the chilly water and flung the handful at Kuro, laughing as he yowled and shook the droplets out of his fur. Tooru fought for the little cat's honor and playfully splashed Mahiru in his stead, to which Mahiru retaliated with a large wave. Tooru dunked him underwater and Mahiru threw a fresh caught fish in his face. The water war lasted all afternoon, and by the time they were packing up, the sun creeping back down to the opposite shore in a grand show of violet, wisteria and burnt gold, the trio were wet, tired and happy, and by a strategic comeback, Kuro had won the battle and was sitting proudly on Mahiru's head in a show of prideful dominance.

Tooru bantered lightly with Mahiru, pouting slightly that the boy had more faith in his own cooking abilities than his uncle, and it soon dissolved into a quiz to see who knew more kitchen facts and food preparation than the other. Around twenty minutes later, approximately halfway back to camp, Kuro stiffened again, claws digging into Mahiru's head. knowing something was definitely off here, Mahiru waved Tooru on, claiming he'd forgotten something and would catch up soon. Once the man was out of sight, Mahiru tugged Kuro out of his hair and leveled a stern glare at him, silently prompting him to speak up or else. Kuro was flicking his tail in that odd pattern again, and he swiftly took on his human form, dull red eyes sliding to their right.

"There's something strange here," he finally admitted. "I'm not sure what it is, but I'm pretty sure it's not dangerous. It just feels …weird, somehow. Like there's evil wrapped up under so many layers that you barely know it's there, but it is and it makes your skin crawl because you _know_ it's there, even if you don't know what it is." Mahiru was puzzled, and it showed plainly in his expression. If whatever was bothering Kuro was so close to their camp, then, simply speaking, they just had to get rid of it and everything would fine.

"Then let's go find out what it is," Mahiru stated, turning and diving into the brush. Kuro followed uneasily, and they beat their way through the woods, squinting as the shadows grew and darkness overtook them. A few feet in, Mahiru stopped. Apparently glowing white fur smoothed from a lump into long ears and a twitching nose, curious black eyes watching them from around a bush.

"It's an albino rabbit," Mahiru whispered, fascinated. Albino animals were rare, and seeing one so close was a treat. Kuro crouched down, peering around Mahiru's legs like a young child.

"That's it," he muttered. "It's him, he's the one that feels wrong." The rabbit pivoted and fled, and on the impulse that lead him to take home Kuro, Mahiru gave chase, hearing Kuro bound after on his heels. A mere ten seconds passed before the ball of white vanished in the dark, appearing to have taken refuge in the deep hollow roots of a large maple tree, and in a burst of energy, Mahiru dove in after it, hands outstretched to capture the creature. He never felt the ground. Eyes wide, Mahiru discovered he had just leapt down a hole that had no visible bottom, and Kuro grabbed hold of his arm in a vice grip, both rapidly thinking of ways to land safely. The hole opening disappeared. The partners were plunged into solid blackness. Unseen, the ground was rushing up to meet them, and in an unexpected jolt, they were overtaken by a very different kind of darkness.


	2. Chapter 2: The Snow Pegunny

2ND CHAPTER EVERGREEN GLADES

 **This chapter is a bit shorter, but I wanted to put this out...pretty much because I wanted to. That's it. Anyway, enjoy chapter 2!**

 **Also, as I forgot to add this last time, here's the disclaimer:**

 **Disclaimer: Servamp + its cast are not mine, and never will be. Only the world of Igra and its characters belong to me.**

Mahiru was awoken by a light shining in his face. When had he fallen asleep? He cracked his eyes open and sat up, feeling a pulsing pain run a marathon through his skull. The first thing he saw, besides the light of a dim flashlight, was the outline of Kuro, resting uneasily on his haunches and peering at him with one eyebrow raised. He pointed the light away from Mahiru's face, but his face seemed to be frozen in that odd look of concern. Mahiru immediately blurted the first thing that came to mind.

"How are we getting out?" Kuro's raised eyebrow twitched but otherwise didn't move as he glanced first up and then to the side.

"I don't know. I climbed up as high as I could, but it's gone. The way we came in isn't up there anymore; just a dirt ceiling I wasn't able to bust through." He turned his lidded gaze back to him, the red more pronounced in the dim light. "I did find an opening that way, though. I just wanted to see if you'd wake up before leaving." He yawned, fangs glinting menacingly. "You're such a pain." Mahiru scowled and swatted fearlessly at him, peering at the moonlight streaming in a cave like crack just ten feet away. It was large, reaching close to twenty feet high, and was a good thirteen feet long at its widest. Mahiru frowned. There was something odd about it …

"Kuro, the moon wasn't out last night, was it?" Kuro followed his eyes to the abundant amount of light that could only have come from a full moon.

"No. It's the new moon week. It shouldn't even be visible right now." _Curious_ , Mahiru thought, pulling himself upright. It didn't terribly shock him …not even the thought that he had possibly crossed dimensions shook him. All those long nine moths living with, caring for and befriending vampires that proved the stereotype was dead wrong had shown him that nothing was impossible. They obviously were no longer where Mahiru remembered them to be. Not even when he and Kuro stepped outside to see a forest of ice blue pines growing actual snowballs instead of pinecones, sky blue maples oozing black sap, maroon oaks that were so smooth it was as if they were made of glass, did he even feel frightened.

Confused, maybe, and eager to go home, of course, but not _scared_. Kuro and his family had taken him to a diner for a meeting rather than a bat infested cave. Kuro ate ramen and junk food and laid about like a bum playing video games all day. Kuro mooched sugar cookies off the girls in Mahiru's class and never drank his blood, hardly even in emergencies, preferring sweet mint tea instead.

His best friend was a subclass vampire. His partner, too. Half of his group of friends consisted of form changing vampires. So just because this new forest (that was quite breathtaking, actually) was sparkling under the light of an ivory full moon, and had grass the color of an orange, with dirt that glistened a dark inky blue, it was no reason to be alarmed. Taking life as it came and rolling with the unexpected were commonplace in Mahiru's day to day life, and made his choices and actions simple. Wherever he was, though, it was stunning. Kuro didn't appear to think much of the scenery, as he took one look at the landscape and pointed to a familiar white blob hopping away with a healthier glow than before.

"He knows something," Kuro announced, grabbing Mahiru's shoulder and pushing him forward. "We need him to get home, I can tell." The confidence in his voice made Mahiru nod and take off running, chasing the rabbit under the foreign light of a different moon. For a while, the rabbit kept a fair distance ahead, dodging trees and dips as if he'd put them there himself. But Mahiru wasn't about to let the albino out of his sight and kept steady pace, Kuro faithfully helping him keep track from where he had transformed and guided from his place on Mahiru's shoulder.

And then the rabbit tripped.

Mahiru hurriedly trapped the thing in his arms, panting from his run. The rabbit squeaked fearfully and struggled, almost biting Mahiru several times, before suddenly sagging in place. Knowing the danger had passed, Kuro leaned forward, tilting his head.

"You led us here on purpose," he said matter of factly. "Why?" The rabbit glowered at him, wild magenta eyes afraid.

"I thought you could help!" He snapped, voice pitched high. Mahiru only had time to wonder how Kuro could tell the animal was both male _and_ a talking one at that before he plowed on, ears flattening against his head. "You two smelled powerful and I thought that if I brought you here you'd be able to help us!" Mahiru sat on the cold ground, head pounding, and stared at the frightened rabbit in his arms.

"Help with what?" He asked innocently. The rabbit huffed and sighed and glared at the ground.

"Jarta," he spat acidly. "He's a stupid jerk and he's powerful and he's greedy and he can only be stopped by someone more powerful than him so I need you to stop him and help us and -"

"Woah, slow down!" Mahiru interjected. The rabbit stopped for air, sullenly falling silent. "Now, start over. In simple terms, explain what's going on and why you need us." Kuro leaned even closer, practically knocking Mahiru over as he studied the ball of white.

"I know you," he said suddenly. "You're Tiff, right? The pegunny that visited Old Child back in '99." The rabbit perked up, his chest fur puffing up happily.

"That's right; so you must be Sloth, Pride's older brother! I didn't get the chance to meet you at the party, Wrath said you were watching her subclass for her!" Mahiru scrunched up his nose in thought and pushed Kuro further back.

"You two know each other?" He questioned disbelievingly. Both Kuro and the rabbit named Tiff sent the same _duh_ expression his way.

"Of course," Kuro drawled. "Every year for Fairy Tales Day we Servamps host a party for the fairy tale creatures that live here. It's a huge success every year, so Gluttony and I watch the kids. It's a real pain, but someone's got to do it." Mahiru raised an eyebrow.

"Fairy Tales Day? You mean that's a thing?" Tiff nodded emphatically.

"Yeah! Everyone goes, and there's this big hall they rent -"

"Okay, okay," Mahiru cut in. "You know each other. So where are we?" Tiff waved his paw at the glittering forest surrounding them.

"Oh, this? This forest is called Evergreen Glade. It takes up a third of our country and has three rivers in it, Oni, Ja Ne and Oyaji." Mahiru glanced around.

"That doesn't make sense! There's nothing green here _I_ can see, and what kinds of river names are those? Demon, See Ya and Pops?" Tiff shrugged and wagged his stub of a tail.

"We don't question it. It's just how they are. Come on, I'll show you to my town. It's not much further." Mahiru set the rabbit down and together they began trekking through the glade, with Tiff talking excitedly about everything and anything and commenting on whatever they happened to pass, and it was all very fascinating until the rabbit claimed "the human world is so much more boring than this." Mahiru was so very close to turning around and leaving that Tiff hurriedly amended his statement, pleading with Mahiru to stay. Only a few more minutes passed before Tiff leapt up to see over the shrubs, pointing ahead to where the trees thinned.

"The town's that way," he announced, bounding ahead. And then he vanished from sight with a high pitched squeal. Worried something had happened to the little pegunny, Servamp and Eve rushed after him, drawing to a stop soon after starting. Hidden in the wheat colored brush was an enormous fissure, spreading like a canyon for almost a mile, weaving through the forest while swallowing a few of the trees. Tiff's small white form was barely visible near the bottom, nearly fifty feet down. Wherever this mini canyon had come from, it must have been extremely recent. Loose earth and rocks shifted underfoot, and Tiff, someone who knew their way backwards and forwards through the dense forest, had completely missed the entire thing.

 _How did this get here, then?_ Mahiru wondered, searching for a safe way down to retrieve the rabbit. From off to his left, Kuro started waving for him, indicating he'd found a way safe enough to travel. Jagged amber rocks were scattered at least to jumping distance from one another and solid enough to stand on for short periods. Kuro sighed at all the exertion he'd been forced to do and *poof!* He took on his cat form to make for lighter weight and reluctantly lead the way down the dark chasm. Besides, he tried to reason, cats had better eyes than humans in the dark. But *man* he was going to be sore in the morning, keeping his Eve safe or not - and, as luck would have it, he hadn't even finished the thought when Mahiru leapt for the next outcropping of rock, and missed.

"Mahiru!"


	3. Chapter 3: Bottom Of The Chasm

Evergreen Glade Chapter 3

Here's the new chapter, nearly a month later. Honestly, I thought I would have this done much sooner, but oh well, it's here now. I may start posting more stories, but we shall see. I hope I'm not overloading you with OC's, but I figured just a few hel[ping hands that weren't the main cast would be a fun idea. There will be appearances later, though, these guys are just here to fill their gaps until they decide to show up. I'm writing this as I go, so even I don't know where this is going, but I have bits and pieces planned out. Anyway, on to the story!

Disclaimer: I do not own Servamp. I do own Igra and their funny little characters, though!

\\( ' - ' )\

Kuro darted further, and further, and _further_ into the darkness, searching quickly for the bottom. He had assumed that where Tiff landed was the bottom, but he was wrong. It went several feet lower than they'd seen, and Mahiru, being the larger, heavier of the two, had crashed straight down towards the actual floor, instantly lost in the inky darkness.

 _Come on, Mahiru,_ Kuro thought anxiously, carefully lifting the unconscious rabbit creature by the nape in his teeth and descending lower into the depths. _You're such a pain - going slower like I do isn't that hard!_ Tiff wasn't terribly hurt, from what Kuro could tell. He was a little bumped and scraped, but nothing serious. Kuro shouldn't worry, what with how hard headed and tough Mahiru already was and had trained to be. But …well …he was. Because of the earlier …trip …they'd taken between Earth and Igra, (he was pretty sure that was what he remembered hearing it called,) Mahiru had become pretty banged up, and with a pushing eighty three foot drop through a rock - riddled canyon …well, things weren't looking too good in young Eve's favor.

\\( ' - ' )\

For the second time that day …or night …Mahiru woke with a splitting headache at the bottom of a hole. If this was going to become a regular occurence, Mahiru mused grumpily, he'd start carrying aspirin. Headaches were a pain and an inconvenience. Sitting up in the pitch black of what he recalled being the chasm, he hissed quietly, pressing a hand to his leg. He didn't know what was wrong with him, all the different pains in his body clamouring for his attention, but if his leg was drawing his immediate attention, there was something very wrong. He wasn't going anywhere alone anytime soon.

Before he could push away the cringe worthy throbbing assaulting his brain to think of a plan, a few small pebbles rained down on him, bouncing into his hair. He listened carefully, reaching out to rest a hand on a cool wall of stone to know which way to move out of the way if something was falling. Faintly, in the distance, he heard a familiar sound echoing down to him.

 _"Mahiru? Mahiru, if you don't answer, I'm leaving to buy the biggest, most expensive bowl of ramen I can find and leaving the bill to you, do you hear me?"_

"Down here, Kuro!" He shouted back. "Don't you dare leave me to foot your bills or I'm confiscating your chip stash for two weeks!"

 _"You wouldn't!"_ Kuro yelped back. Mahiru grinned to himself. Holding a conversation was a great way to locate someone. Well, if that was Kuro's plan, he could do his part.

"Try me! And I think I know where your soda stash is, too!"

 _"Maybe, maybe, but you'll never find my ramen! Or my game collection!"_

"Under the bed and on top of the ice box?" Kuro huffed a loud whine, practically on top of _him_ now.

"You can't take them _all_! You'll kill me!"

"You're immortal, you stupid vampire," Mahiru pointed out laughingly. More pebbles clattered downwards, and another presence was swiftly making itself known.

"That doesn't matter! You're taking away my life force, you're so cruel! How could you do that to your cute little cat?" A heavy puff of fluff landed on Mahiru's head. Kuro. A small paw batted at his nose, thankfully void of claws.

"And another thing -"

"Kuro, you can stop now!" Mahiru told him, blindly swiping the paw away from his face. Kuro humphed and carefully set something warm into his hands.

"But now you've made me grumpy and I want to yell at you some more," Kuro grouched. Mahiru gently felt the thing in his hands - by elimination, he had to assume the small form was Tiff.

"Well, go ahead, but while you complain I'm going to look for a way out," Mahiru announced. Cradling the pegunny close, Mahiru felt about his pockets for the tiny emergency flash he carried. It had started as a precaution from Misono, who was worried for Mahiru after learning of his nightly wanderings. The light also had a built in alarm and small knife, courtesy of Snow Lily. When he didn't find it, Mahiru sighed, noticing that Kuro had yet to start his long list of indignant rambling.

"I can't find my light," he admitted. "Would it be possible for a person to get back up?" Kuro pondered this for a few seconds, scanning the darkness with his gleaming cat eyes.

"Hm …maybe. It'd be an awful trick, though, you'd have to do a lot of climbing and twisting, and I saw that foot. You won't be going anywhere on that for at least three days." Mahiru glanced about, ignoring the fact that he couldn't see.

"Is there anything down here? We have to get out of here, we can't just sit here forever!" Kuro padded softly around the bottom of the chasm, eventually stopping and nudging Mahiru's knee.

"The canyon keeps going down that way," he told him. "I'll go check it out and see if there are any caves that lead upward. I'll be right back - man, this is such a pain I could just die." He wandered away, muttering and mumbling and yawning and complaining as loudly as his little cat lungs could go. Mahiru's presence faded away as he walked, and soon Kuro was all alone, slinking lazily down the corridor.

"This is so boring!" He yowled plaintively. "And I'm hungry! Come on, you stupid cave, open up somewhere where I can get some food - huh?" Up ahead, around the next bend, was the soft glow of a violet colored light, streaming down the hall like a door left opened. Curious, Kuro tip toed closer and peeked around the corner. The next section was lined with glowing crystals, packing the walls with the unusual stones.

"They're called Moonshine," Tiff spoke from behind, startling Kuro. "They grow far below the surface, and the more moonshine that soaks into the ground, the brighter they become."

"What are you doing here?" Kuro asked grumpily. He needed to step up his game; he hadn't even noticed the little creature following him. Tiff chuckled and fluffed his fur.

"I came to as you were leaving and figured you might like some company."

"What about Mahiru?"

"Oh, he's fine. Interesting facts about these particular gems, is that they're not very rare and can be used for medicinal purposes. Although, if you put enough of them together, they become toxic!" Kuro growled.

"Great, a walking nature guide," he grumbled. "Just go back and stay with Mahiru, okay? If he's alone he's even more of a pain." Tiff fluffed again, cocking his head. Kuro grimaced. It looked - _unnatural_. His head was nearly resting on his shoulder, without having moved his body. In the mixed light and darkness, it was downright creepy.

"I told you, he's fine," Tiff repeated, almost soothingly. "Hey, do you know why I'm called a pegunny? It's because of these!" The bunny proudly fanned out his translucent white wings, structured like a bat's. He even flapped them a few times, fanning the air gently. Kuro narrowed his eyes. Something was definitely wrong.

"You're such a pain," he snapped. "Who are you? At least Tiff was barely tolerable." The pegunny grinned. It showed off his sharp fangs. Kuro snarled. It showed his much more intimidating set.

"The Servamp of Sloth; you live up to your name, that took you longer than I thought it would for you to figure it out." The bunny laughed. "You have to admit, this form is so adorable - it's why I chose this one over the tall and skinny two legger. Interesting fact about the moonshine crystals," the bunny widened his swirling white eyes and jerked his head to the other side, "they're also alive. I am Drip, the king of the crystals, and you're trespassing. We don't like intruders very much, you see. You'll just have to die. There's no other way out, you see." Kuro groaned. He was still sore from running around, he just wanted to be left alone!

\\( ' - ' )\

Mahiru crawled along the ground, making slow, painful progress towards where Tiff - or whoever that was - disappeared. He'd had enough of getting hit on his head lately, and his recovery time was improving rapidly. That idiot vampire had left him alone and when the pegunny had suddenly jerked awake and clobbered him, danger signs in big, capitol flashing letters rang through his mind, pushing him to where he lie now, on his belly and trying to figure out what had happened. Tiny pebbles rained down on him, as vibrations from whatever was making that rumbling sound echoed down to him. He could simply assume that the imposter Tiff and Kuro were battling it out. Everything was so confusing - this canyon, this new world, Kuro's previous odd behaviour - none of it made any sense. Just what was going on? Mahiru needed simple answers, and he needed them now.

"Kuro!" Mahiru called. He'd been intermittently pausing to call for the cat, hoping he would answer so he wouldn't be completely lost in the dark. He had started following the rumbling once it began, just knowing Kuro was in the midst of it somehow.

"Hi there!"

Mahiru screeched at the small voice coming from right in front of his face. What else could be at the bottom of an unnaturally made canyon?!

"Hey, oh, man, sorry, I didn't mean to scare you, oh, please calm down," the small voice pleaded. Mahiru swatted blindly at the darkness in front of him.

"Who are you?! _What_ are you?!" He yelled. His hand connected a few times with something very small and furry.

"Ow! Ouch, quit hittin' me!" The voice whined loudly. "Cut it out - hey! Sheesh, I was just trying to be nice, you jerk!" Processing the stream of words one at a time, Mahiru stopped, peering fruitlessly at the spot he had just been whacking at.

" _Thank_ you," the voice grumped. "Why are humans so violent?"

"You're not human," Mahiru stated, venturing for information. The voice sounded indignant.

"Of course not! I'm small and I like it that way! Did you want to find a way out of here or not?" Mahiru nodded eagerly.

"Yes, I do, but I have to find my friends -"

"Oh, you're with the loud cat and the creepy bunny? Man, they've got some issues. Why not just let them duke it out and come back for the winner?" Mahiru wrinkled his nose.

"No way! The cat is my servamp and the bunny is a friend of his family! I can't just leave them here!"

"A servamp? Here?" The voice sounded excited now, talking faster. "Oh man, this is great! You must be his eve! This is perfect, you can put a stop to Jarta and free our land! This is great, wonderful, come on, let's go get your buddies and put everything back to normal! I knew you smelled powerful, you must be the eve of the strongest servamp in the land! You can come meet our subclass kids! Oh man, this is so great!" Mahiru blinked into the endless blackness. It seemed as though he'd stumbled across a new ally.

"Uh, okay. I'm Mahiru, by the way."

"Mahiru, huh? Call me Tsuya. Pleasure. Now let's get going! Honestly, can you humans be any slower?"

\\( ' - ' )\

Kuro leapt out of the way of a sharp swipe, ducking around to another end of the cavern. During their fight, Drip had used Tiff's body, built especially for digging through various things, to ram an empty section of the wall until it collapsed, encasing them in a closed off cave. The king in Tiff's body was having way too much fun tormenting the cat, as if he found it enjoyable to punish trespassers on their land. Kuro growled, irritated. If only he didn't have to worry about hurting Tiff, this would be so much easier.

"Look," he shouted at the now blind eyed bunny, "if I could just leave -"

"It's too late for that now," Drip said playfully. "I caught you, fair and square, so now I get to do as I like! And I _don't_ like the idea of just letting you walk away!"

 _ **BOOM!**_

Drip crashed into the opposite wall, causing several large chunks of rocks and dirt to further close off the only exit. Kuro looked back and forth rapidly, thinking. There had to be some way to stop this guy …and then he spotted the calmly glowing crystals still untouched by their rough housing.

"What if I disagree?" Kuro shot back. He backed up, reaching a black paw up, long claws at the ready, to hover over a thick portion of the crystals. "Let me go, or I scratch them all to pieces." Drip chuckled, spinning mid air too fast to be normal.

"Oh, be my guest! However, just remember that everyone has a weakness, and that usually involves others, does it not? You've got a soft spot for that odd two legged creature down the hall! If you take something of mine, as king I can take something from you, an equal exchange!" He grinned, flopping his head bonelessly to one side, staring with those wide, empty white eyes. "So what will it be, kitty cat?" Kuro scoffed. He had to be bluffing, there was no way he could get his mitts on Mahiru from where they were in time.

"I don't think so," he retorted with a jaw cracking yawn. "Mahiru's safely back where we fell, but these moonshine crystals are right here. Well? Want to risk it?" Drip full on laughed, a weird, screeching laugh that echoed awfully loudly through their tiny chamber.

"I do believe you're trying to scare me!" He laughed. "And I thought cats were known for their easily frightened sides. How about this, then? I also heard cats have nine lives. Survive my attacks nine more times, and you and your companions will be perfectly free to leave and never come back. Do we have a deal?" Kuro narrowed his eyes. He could play this guy's game. Tiff was relatively good friends with Wrath and Pride, and they'd surely never let him live it down if he let the bunny die. It would tear their relationships apart again. Kuro snorted. Who knew that such a little creature had the potential to tear the Servamp family apart, just as Sensei and Tsubaki had?

"Deal."

Drip grinned, showing every last tooth in Tiff's head.

"Excellent."

AN. I hope you enjoyed this new chapter! I thought, they're at the bottom of a creepy canyon, so it needed a creepy bad guy. Did Drip meet the creepy standard, or was he a bit bland? I wasn't sure how far to go without going too far...anyway, let me know what you thought and if there were any mistakes that need correcting. Will Tiff and Kuro last the fight, or will Drip hold them all hostage forever?


End file.
